


Last Kid on the Island

by thunderbird_dragon



Category: Thunderbirds, thunderbirds are go
Genre: Brotherly Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 13:49:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12865845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderbird_dragon/pseuds/thunderbird_dragon
Summary: What do you do when your kid brother says something wholly inappropriate in front of the girl you're trying to impress?In Gordon's case, his first instinct is surpassed by a need to know why Alan should say something so out of place.





	Last Kid on the Island

**Author's Note:**

> As usual there is an illustration for this one on tumblr if only I knew how to link it!  
> Also as usual, this is solely head cannon and I own nothing to do with Thunderbirds are go!

Illustration link to tumblr

 

“So?”

Alan shrugged his shoulder.  

Gordon tried again.  “Come on Al, what was that all about?”

Alan scrunched up his nose, surprised that Gordon wasn’t seriously mad at him.  He would have been if Gordon had pulled that sort of stunt on him.  But even so, he couldn’t admit to there being anything wrong, an actual cause for his behaviour, not yet.

Gordon squigged in beside him on Grandma’s chair.  “If you don’t tell me what’s up, I’m gonna have to…”

Alan raised an eyebrow, “Oh here it comes, some threat or….”

Gordon halted him, “No, not a threat.  I know something’s wrong.  What you did was seriously mean, even for us.  It was way beyond our usual level of mean.  So, there has to be a reason.  Something I’ve done?  What?”  Alan flinched a little as Gordon’s hand came behind him and rested brotherly on his far shoulder.  He’d expected some sort of impact, but Gordon was still partially smiling that smile he used when he wanted to be understood.  The hand on his shoulder gave a little hug but Alan remained sceptical.

“Look, if I’ve done something wrong.  Then I’m sorry.  But I really can’t change whatever it is unless I know!”  Gordon tried to remain patient.

Awe hell – but that just made it worse – that just proved the whole thing – that just made Alan more depressed.

He pushed off the hand and moped off to his room.

 

Virgil came in search of both of them.  Finding Gordon first, still sat in Grandma’s chair, he asked, “You okay?”

There wasn’t enough space for Virgil to share the chair - that kind of thing had ended a few years back, though he could still remember a time that he, Scott and John had all squished in together there.  Then later, him and Gordon.  Now sharing chairs was left up to the tinnies.  Gordon and Alan.

Accept of course, that Gordon was now growing out of that status.  Sad really.  They’d all found sanctuary in that old chair when they were kids.  Times of troubles. He perched instead on the arm and ruffled his kid brother’s hair.  No matter how old Gordon might be, he’d still be his kid brother!

Gordon didn’t seem to notice but answered, “Yeah, I just don’t know what came over him.”  Gordon’s voice was low, he didn’t need to explain to Virgil how hurtful Alan had been, how damaging, particularly in front of Lady Penelope.  “Penny’s probably never gonna talk to me again.”

“Well, you weren’t getting very far there anyways, now were you?”  Virgil tried to joke, and to his surprise Gordon agreed.  The kid really was growing up! 

“Nah, she’s never going to notice me until I’m at least forty!” Gordon voice was light hearted, laughing almost, but Virgil knew how much it must hurt to actually say it out loud.  This time it was Virgil’s arm that wrapped round the shoulders of a brother.

“You can’t give in now, Squid!  You’ve invested too much time and effort so far, you can’t let that all go to waste!”  It was funny, they could josh each other unmercifully, banter harsh enough to cut but when it came down to it, each and every one of the brothers were there for each other when it counted.  “Scott’s just seeing Penny off, then I expect he’ll want a word or two with Alan.”

“What?” Gordon sat up quickly, “No!  I can talk to Alan for myself!”  He stood thinking of what he needed to say, trying again, not losing his temper to see if he could get through to Alan this time.  “It’s okay,” he smiled at his older brother, “I’ve got this Virg, and thanks.”

 

 

Alan had locked his door – a big no-no on the island – but then he knew there were going to be repercussions of his actions.  You couldn’t go round saying “Ha!  Gordon only wants to get inside your knickers!” at the top of your voice to Lady Penelope without repercussions.  There was a tight knot in his stomach now, he was only too aware that it was caused by filthy guilt, guilt that tightened and twisted in his gut.  He hid in the darkest corner of his room but it still found him, curled under his mother’s blanket, but even there, it still haunted him.  What the hell was he thinking of?  How the hell can he ever make this right?  Gordon was never going to forgive him.

And yet…

How come Gordon hadn’t killed him on the spot?

Why, when he finally caught him up at Grandma’s chair, hadn’t he torn him limb from limb, he was strong enough to do it, and yet he hadn’t.

Minutes passed like dragging hours.  Eventually there was a tap at the door.

“Hey, Grandma finds out you’ve locked your door, she’s gonna force feed you cookies for a week!”

Alan had locked the door to keep them out, give him time to sort out his thought, so why was it that he opened it to the one person who had the right to hate him the most?  Why was he so quick to face the consequences?  The anger?

“You ready to tell me yet?”  was all his brother said.

It was too much for the younger boy, too much emotions, an overload of guilt that caused turmoil in his head, his eyes and inevitably in his stomach too. 

“Sorry Gordo, I just….” he fell forward into Gordon’s arms which wrapped round him reassuringly, a big brotherly hug that he was used to from each of them but which was suddenly more poignant from Gordon right at that moment.  He felt sick!  Ashamed!  Sorry!  Oh so very sorry!

He burrowed his face into Gordon’s neck and worried how he would ever show his face again.

As his narrow shoulder jerked with sobbing, Gordon lead him to the window seat and sat him down, all without loosening the grip of his hug.

“S’okay bro, we can sort this out.”  Gordon offered, even though he wasn’t sure himself how that could be achieved – Penny might not be quite so forgiving.  And why was he being so nice about this?  He should be formulating all manner of evil retribution!  Instead he could see there was more to this than just an insulting outburst, blurted out impetuously, unacceptably.  Gordon was aware of Scott stood in the doorway for a moment but the older boy left him to it. 

He let Alan sob himself out before asking again.  “Alan, whatever it is, you’ve just gotta tell me.”  He waited.  “Please Al, put me out my misery, what I do wrong?”

Alan sniffed hard, pulling his head up just far enough to be able to see his brother’s face.  “You didn’t.”

This was like pulling teeth, Gordon had to prompt “I didn’t what?”

“Do anything wrong!”  Alan sniffed hard again and was hit by one of those little jerks of the shoulders that come involuntarily for ages after sobbing.   Catching his breath again.  “You didn’t do anything.  It was me!”

Instantly they both relived that moment – a beautiful afternoon down by the jetty, everyone in such a mellow mood after a picnic lunch that Penny had brought from London in a classical wicker basket.   Gentle post lunch chatter, simple pleasures, a family relaxed and at ease.  The sun warm on their backs, the breeze light enough to lift Penny’s hair beautifully, until it brushed into her face and got in her eyes.  Gordon had tried to help hold it out of the way whilst she searched her bag for a clip.

And something had bubbled up to boiling point for Alan and he’s blurted out the words that would forever be tattooed on his memory….

Alan re-heard the gasps of disbelief from his family.

Gordon re-saw the look on Penny’s face.

The mood was shattered, blustering statements were made, Scott, Grandma… worst was Penny herself who brushed the whole thing off with graceful awkwardness.  The party broke up, Alan ran back up to the house.  Apologies were made.  Penny suddenly remembered a prior engagement and Grandma lead her back to her car with Scott.

Gordon should __so__ have killed him.

“Yeah, well it sure was you little buddy, loud and clear – but what I wanna know is why?”

Alan began to count the tufts of wool in the rug at his feed.  He knew he had to say something but suddenly the number of tufts per square inch seemed so much more important.  Gordon nudged him gently.

Okay, he had to get this said, he might as well say it now. 

“You were getting real close with Penny…”

Gordon raised an eyebrow.  “I was… Probably not now though.  But yeah I thought today I might have been making progress, perhaps….”  He looked to the ceiling and sighed.  “Ah d’you know what Al, I doubt she’d ever really take me seriously, why would she?”

Quietly letting the words slip out, Alan managed to say what he needed to say, slightly out of context, so that perhaps Gordon wouldn’t actually ever know what really bothered him.  “Well, your grown up now.”

Gordon huffed, “Not that she’s ever notice.”

“But she does.  She has for a little while now – __how the hell don’t you see that__!”  Alan turned fully now to look at his older brother.  “I can see it, Grandma and Virgil have both said about it.  Hell even John’s notice – __why        not        you__!”  The last three words were shouted in Gordon’s face, singly, with meaning.  Alan was almost angry, that same feeling of outburst savaging his head.

Gordon just looked at him.  Really?  If that was the case then he’d really not seen it, maybe he was too close to it all – but everyone else had?  He screwed up his nose trying to unravel the idea of it.  Overtaken by the whole notion that perhaps his efforts hadn’t been in vain.  Perhaps?  Perhaps…..

Then another notion slipped in, billowing into vision as though it was a pure white sail hidden by mist – oh!  So that’s the problem!  He looked at Alan again.

“Al, I’m sorry, I should have realised, but then there’s nothing we can do about this, I was always bound to grow up before you.”  He offered apologetically, now he could see it, now he could understand.

Alan slumped forward to collide again with Gordon’s neck.  “Yeah well, I was bound to end up being the last kid on the island too but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.  In fact..” there was another unexpected sob, “In fact, I kinda hate it.  It feels like you’re leaving me behind!”

Gordon hugged in tight, “Awe Al, I’m still here!”

“No you’re not.  Don’t you see that either?   If Penny and you get together, then that will be it.”  Alan’s head was hidden again, the words muffled as he added.  “I’ll be the only kid left!”

Gordon let him settle for a moment longer before offering the only thing he could think of to lighten the mood.  “If you’re right and Penny and I become a couple, well then I could drag you around with me like she does Sherbert!”

And he got a sharp dig in the ribs for his efforts.

“NOT HELPING!”  Alan muttered, “Anyway, Penny probably won’t allow me within a five mile radius of her now.”

Gordon grinned widely, “Yeah, well that was one hell of a statement down on the jetty!”  He saw Alan shudder as the thought hit him once more.  “Nah, Penny’s not one to bear a grudge!  Well not for too long.  She’ll find some way of getting you back, accept the punishment as gracefully as she would and you’ll be fine!”  Gordon laughed, trying to imagine what Penny could possibly put Alan through that could be worse than the guilt he was feeling right now.  “You feeling any better?”

“You getting any younger?”  Alan retorted quickly, a little of the sickness leaving him with the support of his brother, the one person who ought to be maddest at him.  “Yeah, I guess I better go face Grandma.  She’s so gonna be mad at me.”

Gordon unravelled himself, stood and offered a hand up to his little brother, the last kid on the island.  “Yeah but I’ll stick by your side.  If she sees I’m okay with it, she’ll probably reduce your grounding to about a year.” 

The boy came up to stand beside his brother, shoulder to shoulder.  It wouldn’t be too long before they were both fully grown, which would probably result in Gordon being the shorter but whatever, they would both be men in a blink of an eye.


End file.
